Appleby Orwell Women's League Round 2: Corkagh Park

Congratulations to all who turned out on a chilly but thankfully dry night in Corkagh Park for round 2 of the Appleby Orwell Women's League.

The B Race:

A B race kicked off the racing and it was great to see a mixture of old and new faces in the mix. From the start a strong group of 5 set the pace and it was never in doubt that this race was going to come down to a sprint. Muirna Twomey & Marijke Beltman, both from Orwell Wheelers, did their best to stretch the elastic but Eithne Connolly, also of Orwell & Vicki Nicholson of Bray wheelers, were determined to be there for the finish.  Rounding the final bend Marijke started an early sprint,  with the more experienced Muirna waiting to launch her effort. In the end it came down to the smallest of margins between both riders - but Marijke holding on for the win by a whisker! Rounding out the top 3 was Eithne Connolly - giving Orwell Wheelers a nice 1, 2, 3 for the night:)

B Race Results:

1. Marijke Beltman

2. Muirna Twomey

3. Eithne Connolly

4. Vicki Nicholson

5. Aoife Malone

6. Aoife Mooney

All other riders will get a point on the league table for racing tonight

PHOTOS B RACE: Matthew Lysaght Photos B Race

 

The A Race

Racing was fast and furious from the start in the A race. Despite it being early in the season as soon as they were clipped in the competitive spirits took over! Attacks came from Linda Kelly, Kate Earlie, Annalise Murphy to name a few but early on all were reeled back in until Linda Kelly made the decisive move and showed a clean pair of heels to the chasing pack. A gap of 20 seconds grew out to over a minute by the end of the race as Kelly rode solo to victory.  Behind the eventual winner Annalise Murphy came closest to bridging across but despite a huge effort she wasnt able to make the gap and finished in second place well ahead of the sprint for 3rd.

4 riders battled it out for 3rd with Ellen Murray taking 3rd from Emma Smith in 4th. Just behind Jen Bates pipped Sinead Molloy to the line for 5th.

A Race Results:

1. Linda Kelly

2. Annalise Murphy

3. Ellen Murray

4. Emma Smith

5. Jennifer Bates

6. Sinead Molloy

All other riders will get a point on the league table for racing tonight

 

A RACE PHOTOS: Matthew Lysaght A Race Photos

 

Next weeks racing will be back in Corkagh Park, starting at 7pm.

 

LEAGUE TABLE TO FOLLOW

 

Location:

Corkagh Park track location: Map to Corkagh Park Track

 

Schedule:

B race: 7pm start, 25 mins of racing

A race: 7.30pm start, 35 mins of racing

 

Groups:

If you raced the A races last year you will be in the A race this year for this round

If you have never raced before you will be in the B race.

If you are not sure which group you are in and you missed the TT last week then come early and talk to us before the start of the B race at 7pm so we can put you in the correct group.

 

A GROUP BASED ON TT RESULTS:

Annelise Murphy

Jennifer Neenan

Claire Dillon

Sandra Fitzgerald

Jennifer Bates

Aine Kelly

Bea Golczak

Emma Smith

Katie Reilly

Cleo Jensen

 

B GROUP BASED ON TT RESULTS:

Ellen Murray

Aoife Mooney

Hannah Gibney

Roisin Mullen

Laura McMunn

Carmel Moran

Marijke Beltman

Vicki Nicholson

Caroline Glennon

Eithne Connolly

Aoife Malone

Jo Lynch

Vanessa Mulhall

 

Some advice on racing in Corkagh Park thanks to Brian Mc from the Club League posts:

If this is your first race, try arrive early and get some warm-up laps in. Get used to the twists and curves of the course, and what line is best. When in the bunch, remember that there may be a rider on your inside or outside, or both - don't cut across their line.

If you find yourself dropped during the race and getting lapped, please move to the side and let those lapping you go by.

Please don't compromise on safety. Any dangerous riding may result in disqualification or suspension. Bear in mind that there will be plenty of beginners on the track on Tuesday night.

For the finish, safety is the priority. Don't put your head down or close your eyes in a sprint, and make sure to keep a straight line so you don't take down anyone else who might be overtaking you. Keep riding through the finish line until you are well clear of the line before stopping. If you think you placed, come back and make sure the race organiser has your name.

Parking

The car park closes early at the start of the year, so you're better off to park outside on the road parallel to the N7. The club is not responsible if you're locked in while you're racing. See Corkagh Park INFO for the official times.

Valuables

Please be careful with your belongings on race night. Some people leave bags at the gate during the race. It would be much safer to leave them on the inside of the course at the finish line, as that is where most people stand and can keep an eye on the bags. Unfortunately we have had some cars broken into over the past year so please dont leave anything of value visible in your car.

Toilets

There are no toilet facilities available. You could try asking the caravan park nicely alternatively we have been able to use the toilets in the Green Isle Hotel in the past too.

 

SOME COACHING TIPS FROM LEVEL 2 COACHES ORLA HENDRON & GILLIAN McDARBY FOR RACING IN CORKAGH PARK & MONDELLO

1. Change gears before coming into corner/bend - use easier gears so you can sprint out of corner. Mondello has a kick up out of many of the bends - try and arrive in time to do some warm up laps and get used to the course. 

2. Keep the inside pedal up as you go around the bend if it’s too tight to pedal through

3. Feather your brakes going into corner. Again warm up laps to get to know the course will help here

4. Go wide entering corner/bend and approach the corner/bend at the apex

5. Sprint out of corners and once on top of gear then start changing gears

6. Hold wheel as close as you can when approaching bend as will give you better chance of staying on wheel exiting

7. Keep your head up and look where you want to to especially as you ride through the corners.

8. keep your line as you ride through the corners.

9. many people don’t wear gloves in training but we always recommend them for racing as a layer of protection in case of crashes.